Mujeni: Driving force behind Saints juggernaut

HARARE - There is always a great sense of enthusiasm and excitement when a new exceptional talent emerges onto the Zimbabwean schoolboy rugby scene.

More so if that player is a prop, because in the last five years, Zimbabwe has produced two fine players in that position good enough, in their prime, to play for the Springboks.

And in St George’s College prop Thabani Mujeni, one can already see traits of Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira and Brian Mujati.

The Saints loose head has been causing a stir in the schools rugby Super 8 league, where he has become arguably the most feared forward in the country.

Mujeni has been instrumental to his team’s seven-match unbeaten run thus far, his strong ball-carrying ability being the most pivotal for the men in red.

As a defender, he is that one player you would not want to face as his sheer size and power is out of this world. Mujeni weighs 98 kilograms.

Not only he is heavily built, but his mobility, for such a big boy, also remains a huge mystery.

On Saturday, the front rower had a huge say in Zimbabwe’s oldest schoolboy rivalry when the Saints mauled Prince Edward 42-18 on Weaver Field.

Mujeni weighed in with two tries and was in the thick of things all afternoon. His barnstorming carries also gained a lot of crucial territory for the Dragons.

His exploits have not gone unnoticed as he received another national call-up this year for the Zimbabwe Schools team which will travel to Polokwane early July for the 2013 edition of the Craven Week.

The Zimbabweans are likely to bank on the experience of the six survivors from last year’s edition, including Mujeni.

St George’s assistant coach Godwin Murambiwa, who is also Zimbabwe’s Craven Week side head coach, said of Mujeni: “He is an intense and competitive player who understands his role as a forward. Any team with three to four players of Mujeni’s calibre would be unstoppable.” - Brian Matamba

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